Method of sugar-boiling.



No. 667,350. Patented Feb.. l2, |901. .1.-& c. Menen.

METHOD 0F SUGAR B-ILING.

(Application led. July 7, 1900.)

(No Modal.)

llrrisn STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN MCNEIL AND CHARLES MCNEIL, OF GLASGOW, SCOTLAND.

METHOD or SUGAR-Bottine.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 667,850, dated February 12, 1901.

Application led July 7| 1900. Serial No. 22,806. (No specimens.)

To @ZZ whom t may concern:

Be it known that we, JOHN MONEIL and CHARLES MCNEIL, subjects of Her Majesty the Queen of Great Britain, residing at Glasgow, Scotland, (and whose post-office address is Helen street, Govam) have invented a new and useful Improvement in Processes of Ooncentrating and Orystallizing Liquids, (for which we have received provisional protection in GreatBritain under Patent No. 23,598, dated December 7, 1899,) of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to a process of concentrating and crystallizing liquids; and it has for its object to carry out in a practically continuous manner the concentration, crystallization,and discharge of a granulated mass of saccharine or other crystallizable liquids.

The process of crystallization is dependent on the bringing up ot' the density of the solution to the saturated state corresponding to the temperature existing in the vessel, the supersaturation of this solution in order to start crystallization or the formation of grain, the addition of the required amount of syrup or thick juice or liquor to increase the size of the minute newly-formcd crystals, and the application of heat to evaporate the water set free by the formation of crystals, and thus keep the solution saturated. This series of operations is usually accomplished in a single vacuum-pan; but as its action is intermittent, and at times the greater part of the heating` surface is out of action, it follows that a Very large amount of surface is required to do the work. To overcome this difficulty and to carry on the above series of operations in a practically continuous manner, the vacuum-pan has been, according to this invention, subdivided into a series or battery of vessels, all of which are to work under vacuum, the number of which vessels is determined by the quantity and kind of liquor to be treated and the density at which the finished mass is to be discharged. Each of the vessels is provided with a suitable heating-surface, intended to utilize exhaust or low-pressure steam, and may be provided with a mechanical screwing 01 mixing arrangement to assist in the concentration and discharge of the material.

With these objects in View our invention consists in the improved construction and novel arrangements of the apparatus and in the improved process ot concentration and crystallization of liquids, as will be hereinafter more fully set forth.

In the accompanying drawings, in which the same referencenumerals indicate corresponding parts ot' the apparatus in each of the views in which they occur, Figure 1 is a plan View of so much of a plant as is neces sary to practice our invention, the pans being shown in vertical section. Fig. 2 is a similar View of a modification of the same.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 1, 2, and 3 indicate vessels which are connected with a suitable exhaust-pipe 4 and each provided with the usual steam coil or heater 5 and au inlet 0r feed pipe 6. A vessel or tank 7, which we shall call a seedreceiver, is placed under the vessels] and 2 and connected with the latter by means ot' a pipe 8. It is provided with a steam-jacket, as indicated at 9, and with a screw or stirrer, (indicated by dotted lines l0.) A spout or trough communicates with one end of the vessel 7 and extends under the lower end of vessel l, so as to receive the material therefrom as it is discharged through the outlet 11 and conduct it into the vessel 7.

Adjacent to the vessel 3 and connected therewith by a pipe l2 is a vessel 13, which is provided with a steam-jacket 14 and a screw 15, which extends from end to end, by means of which the mass is thickened and a continuous discharge may be secured, if desired. A torricellian discharge-tube 16 is connected with the end of the vessel 13 farthest from its inlet and with a tank 17, from which a Valved pipe 18 extends to the point where it is desired to have the mass of material from the vessels deposited. The top of the vessel 13 is connected with the exhaust-pipe 4 by means of a pipe 19 in the same manner as the Vessels 1, 2, and 3.

Instead of providing the apparatus with a continuous discharge, as above described, the vessel 13 and tank 17 may be replaced with two vessels 20 and 2l, each of which is connected with the exhaust-pipe f1 and provided with the steam-coil 22, as shown in Fig. 2.

IOO

. into the third vessel.

"andthetubel, p 1

terial is emptied bynieans of the regulatiiigcharge after charge of the syrup or'liquid to be treated, bringing each charge up to the hot saturated state, and then forming lthe grain, technically termed se`ed, 'in vthe' usual Way and dropping the same into the vessel 7p1apced underneath it, The seed-receiver is kept ata constant 'and Euniform 4tenuperature by the steam-jacket around it, and its charge is kept in motion by the stirrer 10 t'o reduce the risk of yfalse grain being formed. The'seed is drawn up continuously Vfrm the receiver r[into the secohdyes'sel Q of the series. At thesame time acontinuo'us 'supply of syrup or thick juice is introduced, b'yyvhich the seed or grain is 'nourished and increased in size. The mass then passesco'n'tinuously y The thirdvefssel is also fed continuously `With 'a `regulated supply of syrupto still further nourish and increase the size ofthe seed'or lgrain on 'its'way to the lastyessel. :In'the last vesseln'sy'rup need be adde`d,`as vit is intended vinerely for inishingthe thickeningof the massiip yto, a

density, in the case of `liquids, of about 93 Brix. The'discharg'e from this yvessel is also continuous and is effectedby amechanical arrangement, 'as the screw 15, `iiihic'h propels the chargeentering from :the preceding vessel toward the outletpyvhere it'epes by a suitable orifice in thesideot' the Vessel From the tank 17 the ina- Valve and pump or by any 5other suitable means'. In this Way `the vseed originally formed in cell'or Vessel No. 1 i'sfcontinu'ally passed through all -the 'other cells or Vessels ofthe battery, being graduallyviiicreased in size in each cell bythe'additionof thick juice or'nourishingrliquor till it is crystalli'zed'up to the required degree and discharged 'eco/ntinuously from the last Vessel. The'function ofthefirst vessel is `to prepare the seedfr use in the battery and keepthe seed-'receiver a lower purity, this can be done in the case of large apparatus by increasing the number of lthe Vessels and discharging continuously, r in 'the case of vsmall apparatus the continuous discharge might be dispensed with and the vessel preceding the last allowed to fill lasses. l

Having described our invention, We claim-- 1. The herein-described process of treatinga saccharin liquid consisting in forming seed-'crystals therein, thenlconti'nuously passing 'said liquid Ythro ugh a 'seris'of heatedfvesselsnd 'increasing the size 'of 'the "crystals in each Vvis'sfel 'by 'continuously adding thereto nourishing liquid each Ve's'se'l luntil it is crystallized up to 'the 'required'de'gree, and then diehagingthesame. y

2. The v'herein-desc'ribed process offt're'ating'a'psac'charin liquid "consisting :in placing the -sanlein a vessel andevaporating t'liefsame in avacuum and forming seed-crystals therein, then "passing the saine continuously through "ase'ries of vesselsan'd'addingnuri'syling liquid theretoine'ach Vessel y.a'n'deiaporatihg'thefiszaine'ina 4{facuuin and inally'discharging'the same. v e

3. The herein-described processof treat- `it'gfasfteehm-iniiqiii'g1 eonfsisti'ngrinimermitte'ritlyfbringiiiga certain poi-tino'f t'hesa'me u`pto theho't saturated state'and then forming seed-crystals' t'herin,then dischargi ii g ythe same iiito'avesfsel 'and subjecting it toco'nfstantfagitatiomthen continuously p'assing'the 'same through a Vseries of heated Y'Vessels 'and 

